politics – Page 2

The day article 50 was triggered

A token post to mark a momentous day in British and European history (I’ll draw the line at saying world history so as not to inflate British sense of self-importance). At 12.30 today Theresa May will officially trigger Article 50, launching two years of incredibly complex negotiations that will decide the future relationship between BritainContinueContinue reading “The day article 50 was triggered”

Question Time last night: ‘Britain after Brexit’

I am a regular watcher of the BBC’s Question Time, although I should probably stay away for the sake of my blood pressure. Yesterday evening a special ‘Britain after Brexit’ episode was broadcast, during which an audience which was divided as the country was at the referendum (roughly 52:48) posed questions to a panel composed ofContinueContinue reading “Question Time last night: ‘Britain after Brexit’”

Is countryside stewardship bad for wildlife?

Anybody who has had to trawl through the new countryside stewardship package, as I have this last fortnight, will know quite how much of a task it is. Hundreds of pages of options are available, which has good and bad sides to it. Fundamentally I think it is an effective package, enabling most possibilities inContinueContinue reading “Is countryside stewardship bad for wildlife?”

‘Post Truth Politics’ and the rise of the Right in the European Countryside

The events of recent months, especially in the light of yesterday’s result across the pond, are a sure sign that we a living in an epoch of ‘post truth politics’. Emotion and the power of story telling seems to run the roost above the plight of policy makers, who are desperately trying to push theirContinueContinue reading “‘Post Truth Politics’ and the rise of the Right in the European Countryside”

Conservation 21: the ‘new’ conservation strategy for the 21st century

Last month, Natural England published their new strategy (available here). In essence, many of the things included within it have been said before, either by them or by the environmental NGOs. However, it comes as a breath of fresh air to see everything in a single NE document, and one that gives us a clueContinueContinue reading “Conservation 21: the ‘new’ conservation strategy for the 21st century”